Hat-measure



(No Model.\

A. E. MCDONALD.

HAT MEASURE.

No. 398,340. Patented Feb; 19, 1889.

INVENTORI WITNESSES; h}

Attorney.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER E. MUHUNALI), (ll lllttltllilil'N, NEW Ytlltlv'.

HAT-MEASU RE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,340, dated February 19, 18849.

Application filed July 26, 1888. Serial No. 280,985. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER E. Alt-Don ALD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident. of Brooklyn, King's county, New York, have invented certain Improvement-s in llatllleasures or lileasuring'Devices, oi whieh the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to hand-lilce devices .lor takingthe measures of hats. 'lhese as ordiim-rily eonstrueted consist; of .a simple hand or strip of metal bent to Form a loop or hoop the tree ends of which overlap and slide on each other when the loop that tits in the hat is eonl raeted or t-ixpanded. 'lhe grz'uluations that indicate the site oi' the hat are usually marked on the inner face of thel'iand.

M y measu re or nieasu ring device has several novel ifeatu res or characteristics, namely: The expansihle loop has projecting flanges, usually oppositely arranged, which rest on the margin of the opening in the hat and serve to keep the loop from slipping down intothe hat while it isheine' adjusted to fit the latter. The gradualions which int'lieaie the size are marked on one of these flanges, and are thus in position to he seen hy the user while the measure is in plaee in the hat. The hand is providtnl with thuurl)- )ieees wherehy the expansion and contraction ol. the hand when in place in the hat may he eonvenientlv el'lec ted.

My invention will he fully described hereinafter, and its novel features carefully defined in the claims.

In the drawings whieh serve to illustrate. my invention, Figure l is a perspective view of a ha t-measure or measuring device embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a transverse seetion ol' the measure shown in plaee in a hat. Fig. 3 is a plan view of 2a hat-measure embodying my invention in a form dilteringr slightly from that shown in 'l igs. 1 and 2.

.1 will first describe the construction illustrated in tho tirsttwo lig'ures ol' the drawings.

A' represents ahand of some resilient; malorial suitahlo tor the purpose, such as steel ol' the kind used in tape ineasures,on springhrass. (in one end, (1, ol this hand are secured two thumb-pieces, I; b, projecting inward. 'lhese thumb-pieces are atllaehtnl to and may he formed integrally with keepers e, in which plays the other end, (1., of the hand A. ()n this free or moving end a of the hand is an inwardly-projeetino thuml'ipiece, (I, arranged hetween thumb-pieces b b. The thumb-piece d is 1n-ovided with a pointer or index, 0, which plays over mnnheredl graduation a: on an outwardly-projeeting flange or lip, g, on the end (1 of the hand, and formed integrally, hy preference, with the thumhpieces I! 1" and keepers r r. 'lhese keepers lorm grooves in which the edges of the end o of the hand are housed and in which said end plays. When the measure is placed in the hat, as represented in Fig, 2, (wherein represmits a part ot the hat,)th(- flange or lip -l rests on the hat and ln-evtmts the hand from slippingdown into the hat therealiand re tains it at the point where the measurement is to he taken. On the opposite side oli the, loop the hand has another flange or lip, I), (one or lll()l'0,) which rests on the hat at the other side of the opening and holds the hand in place at that point. The flange is quite long, and provides an extendml hearingon t thehat, and there are, in fact, several flanges or lips It, in order to afford thereat, also, a hroad hearing on the hat. it is inadmissible to make the flange IL very extended in the diret'ilio'n ol' the length of the hand, as this would interl'tne mat erially with the l'lexnre of the hand. I aeeon'iplish the desired result by first [forming on the hand an elongated flange and then dividing this flange into a number of lesser flanges hy noiehing it into or i'iearly into the hand.

The gradnations on the flange g are of course spaced and numbered in such a manner that when the loop is expanded within the hat so as to snugly fit the latter the pointer e will stand at the numher that indicates the size ol' the hat heing measured.

The expansion of the loop is el'l'eetei'l lrv grasping the thumlnpieees d and (1 hetween the thumh and lingers and moving'the l'ormer toward the latter, and tho eontrzu-t-iou is el l'eeted l vmoving the ihumliq'lieee (I toward thllllllnpleoe h in the same manner.

The hand A may he provided with out wardl v--pro ieetinoflanges at the points h 71- in l ig. l, where the flanges are indicated hy dotted lines, and these may he (nnployed in addition to or in lieu of the flange h. The

urpose of these outwardly-proj eetin g flanges i to prevent the band from slipping down eto the hat, .nd they may be placed in any csitinn best suited to accomplish this result.

The construction represenlmll in Fig. I; dil.'- lers from that already described only in respect oi the thun'ib-piomi d. In Fig. 3 this thumb-piece or hand-piece is in the nature of a telescopic bar which extends diametrically across the loop and is hinged to the band at y on the opposite side. The bar has or may have an enlarged body, 61', adapted to be grasped by the hand, and in order to accommodate the length of the bar to the expansion and contraction of the band the part (Z thereof is made to slide telescopically Within the part (1. The operation of this bar is substantially the same as that of the thumb-piece (Z of Fig. 1; butit provides a convenient handle to grasp with the hand.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A hoop-him hat-measure or measuring device with two i nwardly-projecting thumbpieces, Z) and b, on one of its ends and a thumb-pieme, i, on its other end, arranged be tween said thumb-pieces h and 1), whereby the said measure may be conveniently panded and contracted.

2. A hat-measure consisting of a band, as A, of suitable resilient material, having oven 1 having on its upper face numbered gradua tions 01:, and a pointer, as 19, earn ed by one end of said band and arranged to play over the margin of the flange y when the loop of the band is expanded and contracted, snbstantially as set forth.

A hat-1neasure consisting of a resilient band, as A, having overlapping ends, one of which is embraced by keepers on the other, and said band provided with outwardlyprojecting flanges g and h, the former bearing numbered graduations, and with a pointer, e, and thumb-pieces d b 11, substantially as set forth.

4:. A hat-measure consisting of a resilient band having overlapping ends, one of which is embraced by keepers on the other, said band being provided with inwardly projecting thumb-pieces for contracting and expanding the hand, one of said thumb-pieces being constructed of two telescoping parts and hinged at its end to the band, as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALEXANDER E. MCDONALD W itnesses:

HENRY CONNETT, J. D. CAPLINGER. 

